Living a Lie
by kenilyn
Summary: Annabeth Bane lives two lives. During the day she fights and trains as a Nephilim, during the night she mingles in the Downworld as a Warlock. But when a certain vampire crosses her path, she has to choose which life to live and which to leave behind. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I was vacationing this week, reading over my fanfics and trying to figure out what to do with them when I thought about writing one for the Infernal Devices…and the Cirque du Freak, my two favorite book series in the entire world. I hope you like them, Read and review please, tell me what you think and I'll update as soon as possible…unless this story is a complete fail, then I obviously won't. Please no flames, but other than that, write your review however you want :) Enjoy! **

"Miss, we have arrived." The young, fair-haired driver said . I sighed and closed my book reluctantly, seeing a small, white flash of light across from me inside the spacious and luxurious carriage I was in. I looked up and frowned.

"Magnus, please. Must you flash in and out like this all the time?" I whined at the ostentatiously dressed-cat eyed warlock who was now sitting across from me. He shook his jet black hair out of his eyes and gave me one of his dazzling, crooked smiles.

"Ah, my darling, that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?" he asked as he opened the carriage door and stepped out. I rolled my eyes as I took his hand and stepped out of the carriage onto the beautiful brick path. I looked up at the impressive, towering white house with a beautiful white-pillared entryway. I frowned at it.

This was the house of Alexei de Quincey. I shuttered. "Must I go, Magnus? This is none of my business." I snapped. He sighed and looped his arm through mine, gently grasping my hand clad in baby-blue gloves that reached my wrist.

"Yes, Annabeth. But don't worry, I promise I won't let them see you." He said quietly as we walked upon the white stone path that led to the entryway of the house. I glared at the ground as we walked.

"How will they not see me, Magnus?" I hissed as vampires stopped, stared, and started gossiping about Magnus and me as we passed them. He sighed and I sensed he was starting to get put out. _Serves him right for dragging me to this bloody party when I could be relaxing at home._ I thought.

"Trust me, darling, they won't notice you, I'll be keeping them busy while you chat among the vampires and make yourself known to them." He said as we passed through the threshold.

"Ah, Magnus Bane! What a pleasure to see you could make it tonight." A voice with a foreign accent said. I looked to my left and saw an extremely pale vampire, so pale he had a bluish tint to his skin. He had nearly white hair that hung pin straight down to his shoulders and was wearing a gray silk waistcoat.

He smiled and shook Magnus's hand—a bit more friendly than he should have, really—and turned his curious gaze to me. "I do hope Camille will make it. But, who might this beautiful young lady be?" he inquired. I stared at him for a moment before returning the smile and extending my hand to him.

"This is Annabeth Bane, my younger sister. We were fathered by the same demon." Magnus said, looking down at me fondly. The man pressed his lips gently to my hand and released it, never taking his eyes from mine.

"Oh, how rude I must seem, asking who you are when I haven't even introduced myself. I am Alexei de Quincey." He said. I smiled. _So this is de Quincey…head of the London vampire coven, member of the Pandemonium Club, and ally of the Clave…_ I found him rather shifty looking.

I was relieved when he walked off to greet other vampires, but I still caught him looking over at Magnus and me, watching me. "Magnus, when will they be here?" I asked as we started to walk around, greeting other vampires.

He looked over at the massive grandfather clock where Lady Delilah was standing with a Darkling. His face paled slightly. "They just did." He muttered. I hid behind him and looked towards the entrance to see the beautiful Camille Belcourt and her devilishly handsome faux-subjugate William Herondale.

I squeaked. "Magnus!" I hissed when he disappeared. Then someone tugged at my elbow. I looked over and saw Magnus. I sighed in relief. "Please don't do that again." I sighed.

He laughed to himself and pulled me over to one of the tea tables by a massive window where a man with a shock of red hair sat, wearing black trousers, a black waist coat, and a blood red silk shirt underneath. I flushed as I realized what Magnus was doing.

"Magnus! Just because I found a man attractive doesn't mean you can just pawn me off on him!" I hissed. Magnus ignored me and cleared his throat. The man looked up curiously and I could see that he had a long scar along the left side of his face near his mouth. He looked at me, stood up, and gave me a small bow. I flushed.

"Annabeth, this is Larten Crepsley. He's new here and a friend of Camille's. Would you be a darling and keep him company?" he asked. I flushed. "Oh, I don't think I should, I'd only be a bother." I rushed. Magnus laughed. "Nonsense, my dear!" he turned to Mr. Crepsley. "Larten, don't listen to her. She's simply nervous because she fancies you." He said as he pushed me into the seat opposite of the man. I flushed as Magnus winked and walked off towards the entrance where Will and Camille were.

Mr. Crepsley smiled a little and sat back down in his seat. He seemed thoughtful and scratched the scar on his face. "Might I ask how you got your hair and eyes to be that color?" he asked in a somewhat rough voice. I frowned. He noticed and looked slightly worried. "I am sorry, I did not mean to offend you…" he trailed off.

I dismissed him with a wave of my hand. "No, no. It's fine, I get that question a lot is all. They're naturally that color." I said, answering his question. His eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Are they really?" he murmured, extending his hand to finger one of my many loose candy pink curls. I flushed at the contact. He smiled sheepishly and withdrew his hand. "My apologies, I could not help myself." I giggled. "No, it's quite alright. I hesitated.

"Mr. Crepsley," I began, with an eye roll from him stopping me. "Please, call me Larten." He said. I smiled. "Okay…Larten. You're a vampire, correct?" I asked him. He stared at me funny. "Why, yes I am. Are not everyone here vampires?" he asked, looking around curiously. I smiled again. "Magnus is a warlock." I said he nodded and looked at me curiously. "Are you a vampire?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, I'm not. I'm a warlock…" I trailed off, biting my bottom lip. He frowned at me. "That is quite a bad habit, Miss Annabeth. You will cause it to bleed." He chided. I blushed and looked down at my baby-blue formal gown with white lace.

I stopped biting my lip and looked up at him. He was about to say something when Alexei started speaking. "If you would, the ceremony will begin soon." He announced to the now excited vampires. I felt my heart drop to my stomach. Larten stood up and offered me his hand. I remained seated, my face no doubt turning green. He looked at me worriedly and crouched down so he could look into my eyes.

"Miss Annabeth, are you alright?" he asked softly. I shook my head slowly. "Yes, it's just…I'm not attending the ceremony…it's…" I shuddered. He frowned. "What is the ceremony?" he asked me. I frowned and told him. His eyes widened. "That is terrible." He said quietly. I nodded and stood. "I do believe that I shall go out for a walk." I said.

"What about Magnus?" he asked me. I turned to him. "What of him?" I asked, confused. He frowned. "Well, he is going to the ceremony, is he not?" he asked. I nodded. "Yes, but not for the reason you think." I answered. He was the confused one now. I smiled.

"Come, Larten. You won't want to be here in about a quarter of an hour, and I find myself in need of company." I said. He paused and smiled, looping his arm through mine. "Very well, where would you like to go?" he asked as we walked out of the house and down the streets.

"I think I shall show you around London." I replied, walking down the street, not a single person in sight.


	2. Chapter 2

We walked down the streets in silence for awhile until my curiosity got the better of me. "Did you get that scar on your face as a human?" I asked him, peeking from underneath my long eyelashes. He scratched the scar in question and shook his head.

"No, back in my youth, I had attempted to woo a certain witch. As you can tell, it did not turn out too well." He said with a slight smile on his face. I giggled. "Well, I guess we know now not to play with witches, now don't we?" I teased. He rolled his eyes at me, a playful smile on his face.

"So, is it safe to assume we are simply just going to walk around and ask each other questions?" Larten asked me. I smiled. "Indeed it is." I replied. He nodded and seemed to be hesitant. I frowned. "What is it?" I asked warily. He looked at me.

"You and Magnus…are you…?" he trailed off, leaving it to me to piece it together. I laughed at this. "Dear god, no! Magnus is my older brother in a way." I answered in between giggles. He frowned. "In a way?" he asked. I nodded. "We don't have the same mothers—no, he was born decades before I was you see—but we were fathered by the same demon. I was the last child he'd ever father…" I trailed off, frowning. Larten looked at me.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked curiously. We stopped at a street corner, waiting for a few carriages to pass by. When we crossed the street, I carefully answered him. "The demon was killed by a Nephilim after my mother was impregnated." He stared at me and cocked his head to the side. 'Nephilim?" he repeated. I nodded.

"Yes, Nephilim, more commonly referred to as Shadow hunters." I explained. That seemed to ring a bell. "Ah, Shadow hunters. I have heard of their lot." He said. I nodded. "So, Larten…how old are you?" the corner of his lip twitched. "I am twenty-two years old." He answered. I rolled my eyes. "Oh, please, I asked for your age, not how old you look!" I complained. He laughed. It sounded like silver bells, tumbling to the ground.

He stared at me for a few moments before answering. "I am one hundred and forty-three." I blushed. _Oh god, I fancy a man who is nearly nine times older than me!_ I thought. He chuckled. "Is there a problem, Annabeth?" he asked teasingly. I sniffed. "No, nothing at all. I just didn't expect you to be that old…then again, you are an acquaintance of Camille…" I trailed off thoughtfully. He smiled. 'And how old are you?" he inquired.

"Seventeen." I answered shyly. He smiled. "I remember when I was seventeen… Oh, watch out!" he warned. But it was too late; I had already tripped over the uneven brick. I cried out in surprised as I fell towards the ground. I never touched the ground though, for two cold, hard arms wrapped themselves around my waist, keeping me from falling.

Larten set me steady, but didn't loosen his grip. I blushed. "Are you okay?" he asked, sincerity ringing in his voice, his sweet breath rolling across my face, replacing the smell of the Thames river. I nodded. "Yes, thank you." I said as he slowly took his arms from my waist.

He looked around and frowned. "Where are we exactly?" he asked. I looked around and froze when a smell came to my sensitive nose. _Lycanthropes. _He seemed to sense my tenseness and looked at me. "Annabeth, what is wrong?" he seemed extremely confused, but then his eyes widened and were filled with hatred, his lip twitching up, revealing fangs.

I looked around and saw a figure sulking up to us. "Lycanthropes." I whispered to him as a young man, no older than myself, came sauntering up to us. He had bright blue eyes and fair hair and pale skin. His expensive clothing was covered in filth from the streets and caked with dried blood. He smiled at me.

"Ah, what have we here? A vampire and…" he trailed off, confused as he stared at me. He came a bit closer and sniffed me. I closed my eyes and tried to keep my breathing steady. I opened my eyes when I felt a cold arm wrap around my waist. Larten pulled me closer to him, glaring at the man.

The man stared at me confused. "You reek of Nephilim, yet you smell like a child of Lilith." He said, puzzled. He turned to Larten. "I didn't know your kind had stooped low enough to be involved with Shadow hunters." He spat. I glared at him. Then Larten growled at him. I stared at him startled as he glared at the lycanthrope.

"I think it is time to return to de Quincey's." he said. I nodded and took his hand, slowly walking away. I could feel my back itching under the weapon's weight, dying to be used. Larten never completely relaxed until we were a few blocks away from de Quincey's. He frowned at me. "Annabeth, what was he talking about? You reek of Nephilim and smell of a child of Lilith?" he asked, skeptical. I bit my lip. He glared at me. I flushed.

"Lilith's Children are what you and I call Warlock's…I swear, how can you _not_ know any of this? Being a Downworlder for as long as you've been." I frowned at him, attempting to change the subject. "I isolated myself and traveled with a few friends of mine." He answered. I frowned. It didn't seem like the whole truth, but I never got to question him about it because he continued on his quest for truth.

"And the part about Nephilim?" he inquired. I stopped walking then and stared at him. He stopped too and turned so he was facing me. "Why do you need to know?" I asked cautiously. He frowned. "I do not know. I find that I would very much like to get to know you, Annabeth." He said slowly, honestly. He looked into my eyes. I stared for a moment, thinking before I sighed and came closer to him.

"Do you remember what I told you of my relation to Magnus?" I asked him. He nodded. "Yes, you had different mothers but you were fathered by the same demon." He said. I nodded. "I also said that after my mother was impregnated, the demon was killed by a Nephilim." I said. He nodded slowly. "Yes…I recall you mentioning this." He replied. I hesitated. "That Nephilim that killed the demon was a woman…that Nephilim was my mother." I said quietly. I looked into his eyes. He seemed astonished.

Silence.

"So…you are a Halfling?" he asked me. I stared at him. _A Halfling?_ As if reading my thoughts, he explained. "A Halfling is half demon, half something else." He elaborated. I paused. "Yes, I guess I am a Halfling." I said, thinking about the word. I froze when I smelled smoke in the air.

"Larten, do you smell smoke?" I asked. He nodded. We looked around and spotted smoke in the sky. I gasped, terror feeding on my heart. Larten stared at me, worried. "What is it? What is the matter?" he asked. "That's de Quincey's house…Magnus and Will are still there." I cried, breaking into a sprint.

I soon arrived to the place to find it being surrounded by Nephilim. I immediately spotted the silver hair of Jem Carstairs and started to make a bee line towards him when someone caught me by the arm. I turned and saw Larten staring at me.

"Annabeth, what are you doing!" he cried. I stared at him. "I have to figure out what's going on!" I shouted back over the crackling fire and screams of the vampires within. I looked around. "Larten, stay here, if you go anywhere near that building…well, you'll die from fire or Nephilim." I told him. He hesitated and then released my wrist. 'Be careful." He said quietly. I smiled and rushed off to find Jem.

"Jem, Jem!" I shouted, picking up my skirts and running toward him. He seemed surprised to see me. "Anna! What are you doing here! Shouldn't you be back at the Institute?" he shouted, ducking a blow from a rather large vampire. I shook my head. "I haven't been at the Institute all night, I've been at the park, remember?" Jem nodded and turned, stabbing a vampire in the chest.

I screamed as a vampire picked me up from behind. I hurriedly reached my hand down into the bodice of my dress and pulled out a seraph blade. "Raziel!" I cried as I sunk it into his shoulder he screeched and ripped it out, glaring at my. "You bitch!" he spat at me.

Quickly, I took out a pistol from my boot and shot him three times—once in the shoulder, once in the heart, and once in the middle of his forehead. He fell to the ground and I watched as his body disintegrated.

I looked up when I heard a cry of pain. Will had bitten Alexei. I gasped. "Will!" I shouted. Will and Alexei both looked at me, confusion written on their faces. Then Camille picked up a pistol and shot Alexei in the shoulder. He screeched and started yelling at the two of them and then sprung out the window.

I was gasping, even though I had only killed one vampire. It was tiring work. I looked around. Most of the fire had died, with a few curtains here and there burning, and all the vampires were dead. My throat tightened when I saw two Shadow hunters lying dead.

"de Quincey's escaped." A familiar voice said. I turned and saw Charlotte Branwell speaking quickly with Benedict Lightwood, and Henry Branwell. "Are all the vampires dead, at least? We can't go out and search for him at this moment. Now, we need to salvage as much information as possible." Benedict said. Then I heard his haughty, handsome son shout, "We've found another one!"

I turned and saw them leading in a certain tall, ginger who was not Henry. I gasped and rushed over as Charlotte, Henry, and Benedict came to question him. "Leave him alone!" I cried. Charlotte turned to me and stared, astounded.

"Anna! What on earth are you doing here?" she cried. I glared at the Nephilim. "Don't hurt him, he hasn't done anything!" I shouted, wriggling in between the Nephilim clad in gear until I was next to Larten. He was glaring at me. "I stayed put." He said angrily. I frowned. "Being captured to where I can help you is better than being burned." I snapped at him. He sighed in exasperation. By then, Will and Jem had joined us. "Anna, you know this guy?"Will asked. I nodded and turned to Charlotte.

"Charlotte, this is Larten Crepsley, he's a friend of Camille's." I explained. "Her cousin actually." He butted in. I stared at him. "You never said that." I frowned. He shrugged. "You never asked." He replied simply, scratching the scar that ran across his face. I glared at him.

He looked at Charlotte. "Camille asked me if I would come down and take a look at the situation with de Quincey. She said she feared he was corrupt and asked if I would be willing to step in as the head of the coven." He told her. My mouth dropped. Not only was it a vampire I fancied, but now he was the runner up of the head of the coven?

He frowned at me. "Annabeth, gaping is a bad habit. You will catch bugs in your mouth." He chided, giving my chin a tap. I flushed. Will grinned devilishly. "On a first name basis, I see." He snickered. I glared.

"Will, hush yourself or I will hit you with a mace." I hissed. Charlotte sighed. "Stop fighting you two." She turned to Larten. "Would you mind staying at the Institute for a few days? We need as much information as possible about what's been going on here." She pleaded. He nodded. "I do not see how it could be of harm to either of us." He said. I looked at Charlotte. 'Charlotte, Will bit a vampire again." I said matter-of-factly. She groaned. "Everyone to the Institute, now!" she snapped.

Will and Jem ended up using the borrowed carriage, driven by Thomas while Henry, Charlotte, Tessa, and her brother, Nathaniel, used the Institute's carriage. I smiled when I saw Magnus. "Magnus! Can you be a darling and summon me a carriage?" I asked. Larten—who was to be riding with me—stared at me, confused.

Magnus smiled and, with a wave of his hand, summoned a carriage, driver and all. I smiled. "Thanks, love." I said, giving him a hug. He smiled and kissed the top of my head. "Take care, darling." He said as Larten and I climbed into the carriage.

Larten frowned at me. "Why could you not summon a carriage yourself? I thought you were a Warlock." He asked, frustrated. I frowned. "The only Nephilim that know that I'm a Warlock are the Silent Brothers. The only people in the world who know are the Silent Brothers, Magnus, me, and now you. As far as Downworlders go, they know I am a Warlock, but they don't know that I'm Nephilim, only that I'm not a regular Warlock." I explained. He nodded and looked out the carriage window. I frowned.

"Why are you frustrated?" I asked him. He stared at me for a few moments and shook his head. "Do not worry about it, it is nothing too important." He said, flashing me a smile. I rolled my eyes. "Larten, you are a dirty liar." I yawned before falling asleep in the quiet carriage.


	3. Chapter 3

_I'm running, faster than I ever have before. My body was high on adrenaline. Behind me were large, poisonous spiders and deadly clockwork creatures, grabbing for me. I could see a portal in front of me, its bright, white light illuminating the dark railway bridge next to Black Friar's Bridge. _

_There was a laugh from behind me, compelling me to run even faster, towards the safety of the bright white light. Suddenly, there was a black cat with human eyes, running beside me, a blue lightning bolt on its neck. "Run, Annabeth! You have to get to the light, it is life, it is the key to who you are!" Magnus's voice shouted from the throat of the cat. _

_Soon, the feline Magnus and I were joined by Tessa, her body shifting every other second or so, and Will and Jem, brandishing multiple seraph blades, throwing them at the clockwork creatures and the spiders. A figure suddenly darted in front of us and stared at me. I stopped running, the others fighting off the spiders and the automatons. I stared at the figure._

_He looked about the same age as I, but I felt he was older than he appeared. He had pale, flawless skin and bronze colored hair, his brown eyes staring intensely into mine. His tallish figure was draped in a loose, midnight blue shirt, tucked out from his black trousers. He was barefoot._

_The boy bared his fangs and lunged. I cried out but he seemed to have targeted someone else behind me. I turned to see another boy with black hair and murderous eyes, dressed similar to the bronze haired boy, but his shirt was white with dark red blotches. He hissed at the bronze haired boy as he was tackled. _

_I stood watching the two before I heard an inhuman cry of pain. I whirled around and gasped as I saw the Demon. "No! You're dead! Mother killed you." I shouted as he made his way towards me. I looked to the ground and saw Magnus in his human form, lying dead on the ground. I screamed and started to run away from the cackling Demon. _

_The moon came from behind the clouds and I stopped, the bridge coming to an abrupt end. I looked down into the murky water of the Thames River and huffed, my breath coming out as a puff in the chilly air. I whirled around and froze. Everything was gone. The spiders, the automatons, Jem, Will, Tessa, Magnus, the two unknown boys, even the Demon who fathered me. _

_The only thing that remained was a man with red hair dressed in a black shirt, black trousers, and a black vest with a white spider web design. "Please don't." I whispered as he came closer to me, his scar obvious in the moonlight, his fangs giving off a terrifying glint. He wrapped his cold arms around me, baring his fangs and—_

The carriage had stopped and Larten pulled his attention from the towering steeples of what must have been the Institute and gave it to the pale young girl in a light blue dress stained in blood. Her pink curls fell across her shoulders and her face. He smiled softly. She seemed so peaceful.

The door to the carriage was pulled open by a small woman who seemed to be in her early twenties whom he learned was Charlotte Branwell. She stared at Annabeth, lying across the bench, her soft pink lips slightly parted.

Mrs. Branwell started to lightly shake the girl's shoulder. "Annabeth, sweetie, it's time to get up, we're home." She murmured gently. The girl didn't respond. Charlotte sighed and turned to Larten. "I'm sorry, she's a heavy sleeper. You can go ahead into the Institute, I'll just have to carry her to her room again." She told him, smiling tiredly. _Again. That means this must happen often…_ Larten thought, gazing at the girl.

"It is alright, let me carry her." Larten said, leaning towards the girl. Annabeth shivered under his touch and scrunched her nose. As he stepped out of the carriage with the girl in his arms, her face scrunched up with fear and she started wriggling in his arms.

"My god!" he cried as she started kicking and screaming. Charlotte and the silver haired Shadow hunter— who Annabeth had called Jem— came racing towards him. She slammed her fist into his nose and with a cry of surprise; he dropped her, his hands covering his now broken nose as a stream of profanity flowed from his lips.

As she fell to the ground, her eyes snapped open. Charlotte gasped when she saw that the girl's eyes were completely black. The girl shrieked and arched her back, yelling in some sort of demon language, writhing on the ground in pain. "Anna! Anna, wake up! It's just a dream!" Jem shouted, shaking her. Larten stopped swearing then.

_She was just dreaming? Having a nightmare?_ He thought, astounded. Her back arched one more time, her eyes rolling forwards, the pink burning fiercely and she stopped speaking. She stayed like that for a long time gasping for air, her heels digging into the ground beneath her, her hands clenching and unclenching into fists until she finally whispered, "I am Nephilim, not a Halfling."

With that, she slumped back to the ground, her face becoming peaceful once more. Larten stared at the girl and bent over. He reached across her and pushed her curls out of her face and behind her ear. He looked up at Jem. "Perhaps it would be best if you took her." He said. Jem hesitated and nodded, carefully picking the girl up.

Larten and Charlotte stared at the two as Jem carried her up the stone stairs and into the Institute. Larten looked down at his blood covered hand and frowned. He turned to Charlotte. "Is this usual? Her nightmares I mean." He asked. Charlotte sighed and nodded, beckoning him to follow her as she walked towards the Institute. "Yes, sadly. No one knows why, though, except Jem perhaps. But…" she trailed off, frowning as she shut the doors behind them.

"But what?" Larten asked, worried for the girl. She stared at him, a confused yet thoughtful look in her eyes. "She's never said anything about Halflings." She said quietly. Larten froze. He recalled the girl being confused as he told her she must be a Halfling. _She must have been dreaming of me…but why?_ He asked himself. He slowly shook his head and looked at Charlotte.

"I think I would like to turn in, if you do not have any questions for me now." He told her warily. She nodded. "Of course, follow me." She led him down a few halls until they came to a rather large door. Charlotte pulled out a key with an angel on it and unlocked the door. Larten stepped inside. It was brightly lit with strange glowing stones and it had a fountain in the middle of the room of a crying angel. He turned to Charlotte and smiled.

"Thank you, Mrs. Branwell, for your hospitality. I doubt you like vampires here." He smiled. She blushed and he could tell this was partly true. "I should be thanking you, Mr. Crepsley, for allowing us to be able to access whatever knowledge you may have of de Quincey." She replied. He smiled once more. "Anything to help out Camille." He replied turning towards the room and walking in. He sighed as he heard it click closed.

He sat on the edge of the fountain and sighed, staring at the angel. "I do not think I shall be getting much sleep today." He muttered, thinking of the assistant he had left at Camille's house and of the pink haired girl who was staying just a few floors above him.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up, gasping, looking around wildly. It took me a few moments to realize that I was in my room back at the Institute. "You had another nightmare." A voice said. I looked to my left and saw two things.

First, that Jem was in the chair next to my bed, sleeping, and second, that Will was leaning against the doorframe of my bedroom. I frowned. "What happened last night?" I asked as I got out of bed, stretching.

"We attacked de Quincey during his ceremony and killed every bloody vampire except him and your new friend." He said, seeming to be angry. I glared at him. "What friend? And why are you so angry?" I snapped. He raised an eyebrow at me, amused. "Your little red headed friend? What's his name…? Larten Crepsley I believe it is." He said.

I flushed. Now I remembered. I gasped. "Where is he? Is he okay?" I asked, rushing to my closet and pulling out a clean dress. I ran behind the cover of my small room divider in front of my tub and stripped of my now blood stained dress, all the while Will was laughing at me.

"Yes, he's quite fine Anna. He's downstairs where we usually keep Downworlders." He paused. "I say, if I didn't know better, I'd think you'd fancy the man." Will snickered. I frowned and threw the dagger that I had hidden in the back of the blue dress I had worn the night before around the divider towards Will. I stepped out, needing Will to help me tie the bodice of my dress and smiled when I saw that it had stuck into the doorframe right above his head. He was glaring at me.

"Will, be a dear and tie my bodice, please." I said, turning around. He grumbled and came behind me, tying it. I turned and smiled at him, patting his cheek. "Thanks love." I winked at him. He rolled his eyes and walked out of my room, muttering under his breath. I turned to Jem and walked towards him.

"Jem." I said gently, shaking his shoulder lightly. "Jem, you need to wake up and go to your room." I said. He groaned and opened his heavy lids. He smiled when he looked up at me. "Ah, good afternoon Anna. Did you sleep okay?" he asked as he stood, gripping the chair as he tried to gain some balance. I smiled at him.

"Yes, I did. And judging by your eyes, you didn't." I teased, poking his nose. He laughed and shook his silver hair out of his face. "No, not really." He admitted sheepishly. I rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of my room and a few doors down the hall to his. I opened the door and pointed to his bed. "Bed, now." I ordered. He rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine Anna." He said, walking off. I rolled my eyes and walked down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Miss Annabeth!" I turned around to see Sophie rushing towards me, clothes and blankets in her arms. "Miss Annabeth, can you take this down to that vampire friend of yours? Mrs. Branwell needs me to take care of Nathaniel." I paused for a moment and nodded, taking the items from her. "Of course, send Tessa and her brother my regards." I added. She smiled and nodded, rushing down the hall towards the kitchen, no doubt.

I began to feel giddy as I walked down the dim hallway that led to the room where it was possible for us to keep the cursed. I assumed that Charlotte had left the door unlocked and pulled the handle. My assumption being correct, I stepped into the room illuminated by witchlight. I looked at the fountain in the middle of the room and saw a tired looking Larten sitting on the edge of it thinking, his hand covering his eyes. He sighed.

"If it is you, Mr. Herondale, please let me be. I am not in the mood for your boorish behavior." He said warily. I smiled at this some. "And if it is Annabeth?" I asked sweetly. He paused and turned his head. I caught his eye and giggled as he smiled up at me. He straightened up.

"If it is Annabeth, I would rather enjoy your company." He said, patting the fountain beside him. I blushed slightly and walked towards him. He stared at the blankets and clothes curiously. "Are those for me?" He asked as I sat down. I nodded and gave them to him. "Yes, Sophie had me take them to you." I told him. He stared at me. "Who is Sophie?" he asked. "Sophie is the maid." I replied. He nodded.

I looked at his face and hesitated, remembering the end of my dream. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Have you a question for me, Annabeth?" he asked. My hand automatically fluttered to the side of my neck. His face went blank, unreadable, as I looked down at my lap and back up at him guiltily. "Is that what you dreamed about Annabeth?" He asked gently. I looked into his eyes, but found nothing. I looked down and nodded. "Yes…well, the end of it anyways." I said quietly, looking up at him. He was about to say something when the door opened.

"Mr. Crepsley it seems that you have a visitor." Will said, annoyed as a boy came into the room after him. I froze as he walked towards Larten. "What the hell, Mr. Crepsley!" the boy cried, throwing his hands in the air. I winced. It was one thing hearing William use such words as Hell, but it just sounded completely vulgar when this boy used it. Larten glared at him.

"Darren, do not use such words when you are in mixed company." He said angrily. Darren ignored this. "What happened last night? You were supposed to come back from the party, and next thing I know, Magnus returns telling me that all the vampires were dead but you were alright! Why didn't you come for me? I was starting to think that you were dead!" He shouted angrily. I unfroze and glared at him.

"Hush yourself, boy. I have a headache and your whining is only making it worse." I snapped. William snickered at this. "Will, shut up! Should we have a repeat of this morning?" I asked, my voice strained with anger and terror. He wiggled his eyebrows at me and left, laughing as I glared at the back of his head. Larten looked at me.

"What happened this morning?" he asked curiously. I frowned. "I threw my dagger at him." I replied. Darren looked at me, startled. "_You_ threw a dagger at him?" He asked, incredulously. I stared at him. "Yes, I did. And I'm about to throw one at you if you don't leave." I replied calmly, taking a dagger out of my sleeve. Darren's eyes widened. Larten gently laid his hand on my hand.

"Annabeth, there is no need to get violent with him, he is merely an ignorant child." He said, glaring at Darren. I shook my head. "Why are you here? Did that other boy follow you?" I asked quietly. Larten became tense. "What other boy?" He asked gently. I answered him, never taking my eyes off a frozen Darren. "The boy with black hair and murderous eyes."

Larten stared at me, shocked. "You mean Steve? How does she know about Steve?" Darren asked, staring at Larten. "He was in my dream. I thought you were going to kill me, but when you lunged, you attacked him." I said. Larten frowned. "Interesting…" he trailed off. Darren frowned at this. "Who are you?" He asked. Larten smiled ruefully. "My apologies, I should have introduced you. Darren, this is Annabeth Bane. Annabeth, this is Darren Shan." He said. I held my hand out to Darren. He gently pressed his lips to it.

I snorted. "Oh, now you have the capacity for manners." He smiled sheepishly. "He is actually quite shy. I suppose I had just made him that angry." Larten laughed. I smiled. "So, he is a vampire as well?" I asked. Darren frowned. "How'd you know?" he asked. I smiled. "You're a friend of Larten's. Also, you have no smell…vampires don't usually have a smell." I explained.

Soon, I heard the clicking of heels down the hall and frowned. "Oh, lovely." I growled. Darren and Larten looked at me confused as a high voice called out to them. "Oh, I heard we had visitors!" I turned my attention to the door to see a slender girl with thick, blonde, curly hair coming towards us dressed in a navy blue dress with white vertical stripes on the front of the bodice.

Darren's eye's practically bugged out of his head. _Of course he'd find her attractive._ I thought. I turned to Larten to see him staring at her with a sort of admiration. I frowned. He looked at me and smiled, seeming amused. I looked down, blushing fiercely. He chuckled to himself.

"Oh dear, poor things. You mustn't have had a decent conversation all day." Jessamine said. I looked up to see her staring at me. I glared at her. "On the contrary, Annabeth is a rather interesting young woman." Larten replied. I smiled slightly at this. Jessamine sniffed and turned to Darren. "My, what a charming, handsome boy we have here." She said, looking him up and down. I had a feeling that Darren would be blushing if he could. I sighed. "Jessamine, they're vampires. Go back to bothering Nathaniel." I said. She paused, frowned, and turned on her heel, walking out the door.

Darren stared at me. "What just happened?" he asked, dazed. I smiled. "That, my dear friend, is Jessamine. She believes herself to be a lady. Silly, she is. We are Shadow hunters first, and a lady second." I sniffed. Darren frowned. "What are Shadow hunters?" he asked. I sighed. "Basically, we are angelic human beings created to fight demons and other Downworlders to keep the mundanes safe." I said.

Darren was about to ask a question but he looked at Larten and a confused expression came to his face, and he said nothing. I stared at Larten curiously. He smiled at me.

"Annabeth! There you are. We've been looking for you all morning." A voice said. I turned to see the amazingly handsome Gabriel Lightwood at the doors of the room. I stared at him, dumbfounded. "Gabriel, what are you doing here?" I asked, confused. He smiled. "Father is having me stay here for the questioning of the Downworlder." He said, giving a look of distaste to Larten. I looked back at Larten who seemed amused.

"Who is this?" Gabriel asked, walking towards me but looking at Darren. "This is my assistant, Darren." Larten said, bored. Gabriel stared at him and scrunched up his nose. I frowned.

"Is there something you needed, Gabriel?" I asked kindly. He paused and looked at me and then smiled. "Yes, may I speak to you for a moment?" He asked. I nodded. He hesitated and his cheeks turned slightly pink. _What..?_ "In private?" he asked nervously. Darren and Larten snickered. I shot them a glare. "Yes, Gabriel, we can talk in private." I said, still glaring. Larten stopped and looked at me with a weird look.

Gabriel threw a dazzling smile at me and held his arm out. I looped mine through his and he led me through the dark corridor and towards the front doors of the Institute. He opened the door for me and followed me out. Gabriel sat on the stone steps and looked up at me, smiling. "Join me, Annabeth." He said, patting the step beside him. I nodded and sat next to him.

"Darren, follow them." Larten said as soon as he believed that Annabeth and the annoying Gabriel character were out of hearing range. Darren stared at his mentor, incredulous. "Follow them? Why?" His mentor's face was blank.

"I do not trust this Gabriel. He might have information that he is withholding from me about Camille's whereabouts." He said. Darren snorted. "Mr. Crepsley, I've been your assistant for ten years. I know you're lying."

Larten glared at the boy. He missed the days when Darren had only just met him and couldn't tell whether or not he was lying. Suddenly, Darren's eyes widened and he gasped.

"Mr. Crepsley! You don't _fancy_ her, do you?" Darren cried. Larten glared. "Of course I do not! That is absolutely ridiculous!" he said defensively. "Yes, I know. But it's absolutely true as well!" Darren snickered.

"What's absolutely true?" a feminine voice asked from behind. The two men looked at the door to see a certain pale, pink haired girl wearing a light yellow dress staring at them curiously. "Nothing, it is nothing at all." Larten said quickly, giving Darren a hard stare. Darren snickered at him.

"So…what was it that Gabriel wanted to ask you?" Larten asked curiously. The girl flushed. "Nothing of great importance." She said quickly. Larten stared at her amused as she hurried out the door, obviously embarassed. Darren followed her.

A few moments later, Darren came back. As soon as he shut the door, he burst into a fit of laughter. Larten stared, bemused. "What is it?" He asked. Darren stood up and, in between laughs, said, "Gabriel…asked her to go…on a sort of date with her…tonight…in the Park."


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own either of the books in the Crossover or any of the Characters—aside from Annabeth. Enjoy :)**

"Annabeth?" I looked up. It was supper and everyone at the table was staring at me. It took me a few moments to realize that it was Charlotte that was attempting to attract my attention. I stared at her and gave her a small smile. "Yes, Charlotte?" I asked quietly.

"You've finished supper, would you mind too terribly to bring Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Shan their supper?" I felt my eyes widen and my cheeks flush as I heard Will snickering at me and caught Jem and Tessa hiding their smiles. "Wh-why do I have to do it? That's Sophie's job." I stammered. Charlotte stared at me in the way she reserved for Jessie when she said something ridiculous. "They trust no one aside from you." She said slowly. I bit my lip as I realized I was cornered. I sighed and stood up, nodding. "Of course, Charlotte."

As if on cue, Sophie came out rolling a dining cart with two plates of steamy food on them. I frowned when I saw the wine bottle that contained a liquid that was too thick to be wine. I scrunched my nose. "Magnus gave one of Lady Belcourt's to us." Charlotte explained. I nodded and pushed the cart out of the room and down the halls.

I was dreading the trip down to the witchlight lit room with an angel fountain in its center. I hadn't been able to muster the courage to go there and speak to Larten or Darren, despite the questions that were running through my head. When I told Darren of my plans with Gabriel, he almost laughed in my face, and I knew he'd tell Larten, which would be much worse. Why exactly it would be worse, I wasn't sure. All I knew was I'd rather die than have Larten laugh at me.

I stopped when I got to the door. I could just knock and run away, then they'd never know I was here…except for my scent that would still linger behind me. I frowned and raised my hand, knocking lightly on the door. No matter how much I wish they wouldn't have heard it, they were vampires and it shouldn't have been a surprise to me when he opened the door.

**Larten POV**

He was delightfully surprised when he opened the large door to find the pink haired shadowhunter on the other side. He quickly looked her over once, but not too quick as to miss the changes. She was chewing her bottom lip again—a nervous habit he assumed—and had changed into a black Lolita dress. Her pink curls were pinned up and out of her face, causing them to tumble down her back.

"Why hello, Annabeth. Do come in." he smiled, stepping to the side so she could come through with the cart that he had only just noticed she was pushing. He frowned. "Is there a reason you are bringing this? It is the maid's job, correct?" he asked her. Her already pink cheeks turned a bright red.

"Yes, well, Charlotte asked me to bring it." She said quickly. She looked around and paused when her eyes rested on the sleeping from of his assistant, Darren. "He's sleeping." She whispered, sounding rather confused. Larten stared at her funny. "But of course, it is night." He said. She looked annoyed now.

"I know it is." She snapped. "He's a vampire, why is he sleeping?" she demanded. He laughed softly. "He is only half a vampire." She stiffened. Larten furrowed his brow. "What is wrong, Annabeth?" he asked her. She stared at him. "Is…is he a Halfling?" she asked quietly.

"Not exactly. I have made him a vampire, but he is only half vampire. He still has human blood running through his veins." Larten answered. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly. Without much thought, Larten stretched out his hand and pushed her chin up gently, his cold fingers lingering on her warm, soft skin. She turned pink. Larten coughed.

"You will catch bugs if you let your mouth hang open." He murmured. She bit her lower lip, smiling. "So you've told me." She frowned and returned her gaze to Darren. "Vampirism…it's a demon disease. How can Mr. Shan be only half a vampire?" she murmured, crossing her arms across her chest, shivering.

Larten took off his coat and draped it on her shoulder. She smiled up at him kindly. He couldn't help but smile back. "Darren and I…we are not normal vampires." He told her. She looked into his eyes for a few moments before answering. "I know." She smiled a little and blushed.

He smiled as he saw the fire of curiosity burning in her bright pink eyes. He laughed softly. "I will tell you about it sometime in the near future." He said, well aware of the fast approaching date. She nodded and asked another question. "Well, from the way you speak of it, it doesn't seem like your sort of vampirism is a demon disease so…is that why you can say God? It occurred to me during the day that I heard you say God last night, a word no vampire can utter." She asked. Larten nodded.

"Yes, that is why we can say it. Since we are not a demonized people, we have the ability to use holy words such as God." He explained to her. She nodded and looked at the dining cart. "Well…um, we got a bottle of…blood from Magnus so you could drink it." She said, staring at the angel fountain. He snorted.

"It is not very gentlemanly to drink blood in front of a young lady." He said. She giggled and blushed a light pink. He noticed that she did that a lot when she was around him…and he rather enjoyed it. Larten walked around the cart and pulled it towards the fountain then sat on the edge, placing the plate in his lap. He looked up to see Annabeth standing awkwardly, her eyes darting from the door, to his face, and back to the door.

"Join me, Annabeth. I have not had decent conversation since you ran out this morning." He smiled, suddenly annoyed by the affair with Gabriel Lightwood. Her face turned red and she slowly made her way to the fountain before sitting next to him. Larten took a spoonful of the delicious broth that had been brought to him and swallowed slowly before asking his question.

"So, this Gabriel fellow," he began. The girl's face turned red. "Do you fancy him?" she bit her lip and shrugged. "Well, he's a shadowhunter, and quite handsome, and Charlotte would like me to court him…" she trailed off. Larten raised a brow at her. "But?" he pressed. She relaxed some and smiled softly. "But…he's not the one I fancy." She said softly.

Larten was sure his heart would pound if it was still beating, but he couldn't figure out why this was. Well, that was a lie, he knew why, he just couldn't admit that he had an attraction for this seventeen year old Nephilim. She looked up at him from under his lashes. "Do…do _you_ fancy anyone?" she asked in a small voice. Larten stared into her eyes, seeing nothing but care and affection. "Yes." He said in an equally small voice, staring at her intensely.

Her eyes widened slightly, her cheeks turned pink and she started biting her lip as her eyes stared at his own lips. Larten had been with enough women to know what that look meant. She wanted to slam her lips against his as much as he did. His eyes trailed down her face, staring at her full, soft, pink lips, which had parted slightly, letting out a shaky breath.

He could do it, right now. Just cup her face with his hands and pull her towards him and show her a kiss like no other. They were alone aside from Darren, but he was sleeping and would never know. None of the shadowhunters had been to see him since Annabeth had left earlier this morning, Larten assumed they were giving him some space.

Her eyes slowly slid shut and she shivered. Larten put his tray of food back on the cart and slowly reached his hand out and held it against her cheek. She leaned into his touch and sighed contently. Larten smiled and slid his hand to the back of her head, holding a fistful of her curls, and cupped her right cheek with his other hand. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at him, her breath ragged.

He chuckled softly; her heart was racing as though she had just run a mile. He slowly leaned in, never taking his eyes from hers, until there was barely a centimeter of space between their hungry lips. He could feel the warmth in her cheeks growing warmer. He hesitated.

He wanted this, but did she? Did she truly want this or was she just too shocked or overwhelmed with young desire to say anything? As much as he wanted her like this, he couldn't bear doing something that she wouldn't want and have her angry with him, never to speak to him again. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.

**Annabeth POV**

I sat there, unmoving as he came closer and closer to my face, our lips destined to meet in a matter of seconds. He stopped just before reaching my lips and stared into my eyes. His emerald eyes were a window to his soul, I could see the care that he had for me in them and I realized that these attractions I've had for him have not gone unreturned.

My cheeks flushed some when I came to this realization. I'd had many admirers among the shadowhunters and other Downworlders, but none like Larten. He was…different. He almost seemed more human, he wasn't as demoralized as most Downworlders tended to be now a days—particularly the vampires.

I was snapped out of these thoughts when he sighed, his breath rolling across my face. His hand released my curls and slid down my neck and over and off my shoulder. His hand on my cheek lingered slightly and then he pulled himself away entirely, putting more distance between us. I froze as my heart dropped.

_What just happened? He was going to kiss me, I know he was! Did…did I do something wrong?_ This last thought ran through my head like a broken clock would toll at every hour. I started to shake. He wasn't looking at me, why was he avoiding my eyes? "Larten…" I trailed off. His shoulders tensed up. "Miss Bane," he began. Coldness shot through me, emanating from my very core. He wasn't using my Christian name anymore.

I shot up, stumbling backwards. Had I been wrong? He looked startled as I fell backwards onto my bum. He stood up, concern in his eyes. "Miss Bane, are you well?" he sounded genuinely worried. I felt stupid as I felt tears well up in my eyes. I blinked them away harshly and rubbed the back of my hand against my eyes in an attempt to get rid of the tears. "Stop calling me that!" I sniffled. He nodded slowly and helped me to my feet.

"Annabeth…I am sorry for the way I acted just then, it was completely inappropriate and unprofessional." He said. I stared at him, my mouth forming an o. "Unprofessional?" I whispered. He nodded. "I am here for business reasons—to give any information the Clave might find of use." I stared at him. Business reasons…this was strictly business? I must have said the words out loud because he answered my question.

"Yes, business reasons. Again, I give you my most sincere apologies. You are quite an attractive young woman and I could not control my behavior and caused you to act with poor judgment based on physical desire and I—" He stopped abruptly, shock spreading all over his face. I admit, I was pretty shocked myself. I didn't think I would have slapped him, but I did. He raised his hand to his cheek where, had he not been a vampire, would have been red and splotchy. "Annabeth." He said, shocked.

His eyes lit in alarm as the tears spilled over my eyes. "You think I was acting out because I'm too…too…too under the influence of my own physical desires?" I shouted at him. He was silent, his eyes widening and jaw dropping.

"Did you think that I was just some girl that it was okay to toy around with? That I'd be so caught up in the desire of it that I wouldn't pay heed to any sort of emotional bond? Because I will have you know that though I am merely seventeen, I have had to grow up fast. Do you know how hard it is to watch your mother die, knowing you can't do a single thing to stop it? Or stand by and watch as your best friend slowly dies because he's poisoned? Or watching as someone who is like your brother pushes himself away from everyone for some unknown reason? Or having to live with people when you know you'll get them all killed someday?" I shrieked.

He froze. He took a step towards me. "Annabeth, I—"

"Hey, what's all the yelling about?" Darren was awake now. Awake and alarmed.

The door slams open and Will comes in. "What's going on in here? I can hear all the yelling from the training room." He looks at me and stops when he realizes that my cheeks are wet. "Annabeth, are you crying?" Darren gasps. I looked up at him as he stood next to Larten, his hair and clothes disheveled. I shook my head, trying to wipe my tears. "No, no Darren I'm fine." I lied. Will took my hands and stared at me. "Don't lie to us, Anna. A blind idiot could tell you're crying." He was seething but I couldn't be sure as to why. He turned and glared at Larten

"Well, the kid next to you was obviously asleep, so you must be making her upset. What did you do to her?" Will demanded as he wrapped his arms around my shaking and sniffling form. I stopped and glared at Larten. He was staring at me, his eyes filled with shock, confusion and hurt. "Nothing." I stated, angry and upset that Larten had made me cry in front of people. "He did nothing at all."

Darren and Will stared at me confused. But, at the same time, it must've clicked because their eyes widened and they both said "Oh." They exchanged looks and Will gave me a squeeze. "Come, darling." He said, speaking in terms that he only used with me when I was beyond upset.

I followed Will out the doorway and was almost pleased when I heard Darren smack his master on the back of his head and said, "My God, Larten! You bloody idiot! Even Herondale and I can see it! Are you _that _stupid?"

**Ohp, I bet you all thought they were gonna kiss ;) nope! But wait, what is it that I see in this crystal ball? I see a kiss looming in the young girl's future…who from I wonder? ;) SO! Whether you enjoyed it or not, I would love your reviews. Critiques would be nice :) as long as there not hot and flamey :) I hope you enjoyed and I should be updating soon! Thanks for reading, love you all!**

**Keni**


	6. Chapter 6

"So…you did fancy him?" I looked at Will, sniffling, and wiped my tears with the back of my hand. I nodded. "Yes…I did. I know I shouldn't have since he's not a Shadowhunter nor a mundane but…I couldn't help it." I looked at him. "You know what I mean?" He shook his head no, but we both knew it was a lie.

I'd seen how he looked at Tessa; it was like she was the most precious thing in the world…though I am fairly certain I'm the only one who had noticed by then. Of course Jem knew that Will thought Tessa to be beautiful, but Jem was too blind of Will's love for Tessa due to his own love for the girl. I sighed.

"If you fancy him, why did you agree to Gabriel's request to court you? You could have rejected him like the sick vermin he is." He muttered. I stared at Will, dumbfounded. "I did not agree to court him! It is simply a night out in Hyde Park! The higher ups of society are all going tonight for a lovely ball and Gabriel asked me to go with him." I snapped.

Will laughed at me and then sighed. "Well, it's nearly eight, that's when you two are meeting down in the gates, right?" He asked quietly. I walked into him and nuzzled my head into his shoulder, grabbing the front of his shirt. His muscles tensed but I ignored it. "Will…I don't want to go. I'm too emotional right now." I said into his chest. He sighed and patted my curls.

"Don't be silly, Anna. Go out and have fun, it'll take your mind off things." He said. I pulled away and looked up at him. Furrowing my eyebrows, I gave him my signature pout. "I hate it when you're right, you know that?" I complained. He rolled his eyes, giving me his signature smile. I laughed at him.

I looked over Will's shoulder and stopped abruptly. Larten…or rather Mr. Crepsley was standing at the entrance of the hall that led to the sanctuary with Darren, his arms crossed over his chest, at his side. I bit my lip. Will turned and locked eyes with Mr. Crepsley. He awkwardly cleared his throat and looked at Darren. Darren gave him a stiff nod and jerked his head to the right, signaling Will to follow. Will looked at me. I gave him a tacit nod and he left, purposefully giving Mr. Crepsley a slight shove with his shoulder.

Then, we were alone.

"Annabeth I…I am truly sorry." He said quietly. I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned. "Really? So am I." I said, overwhelmed by my damaged pride. He stared back at me confused and took a few steps closer. "For what, might I ask?" he questioned. I felt my eyes stinging again. "For…for having feelings for you." I said quietly, my face heating up as I made my confession. His whole body tensed up. "What..?" he whispered, shock and disbelief evident in his voice.

I looked down so he couldn't see the tears spilling over my eyes. "If I didn't have feelings for you, I wouldn't have gotten hurt, and we…we could have…we could have kissed because it wouldn't have meant anything to either of us." I rushed out, my voice cracking.

Suddenly he was standing before me, mere centimeters between our bodies. He took my face in his hands and pulled it up so he could look in my eyes. I stared into his emerald ones. He carefully wiped my tears away with his thumb and stared at me for a long time before he spoke.

"You think that kiss would have meant nothing to me?" he asked quietly. I looked down. "Obviously, or else I would not be crying right now." I said angrily. He slightly tightened his grasp on my face. "Annabeth….Annabeth, look at me." He begged. I hesitantly raised my eyes to his now happy ones once more. He had a smile dancing on his lips. "I do care for you, Annabeth. But…" Sadness seeped into his eyes and he let go of my face. "But you are a shadowhunter and I am a vampire…and there is so much you do not know about me, and I wish to not bring you into situations that will put you in danger." He said softly. I chuckled at this.

"Oh, Larten, you said it yourself. I am a shadowhunter, danger is my middle name." I winked at him. He sighed in response. "Annabeth, I am serious. There are other forces in the world besides Angels, Demons, Nephilim, and Downworlders. I know of these forces, or this force I should say. It is not something to be messed with and I do not want you getting mixed up in it." He said sternly, taking a step away from me. I ground my teeth together and took a step forward. "Well, maybe I want to get mixed up in it." I said defiantly.

"Get mixed up in what?" a familiar, smooth and haughty voice asked. Larten and I involuntarily took a step away from each other and looked at the source of the voice. There, at the main foyer that branched off into the sanctuary and the upper floors of the Institute, stood an annoyed Gabriel Lightwood. "Nothing you should be concerned with." Larten said cooly.

**Larten POV**

Gabriel's brow twitched in annoyance he took a deep breath and walked towards Annabeth, a charming smile dancing on his face. He laced his arm around hers and pulled her close to him. He looked down at her shocked face. "Well, you are looking quite stunning my dear." He said kindly. She flushed slightly and looked away guiltily. Gabriel smirked and looked at me, a triumphant look on his face. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. It seemed that I could very possibly have competition for this girl.

"I trust that you had concluded your business with Miss Annabeth? The two of us must get going." He said, still smirking. I looked at Annabeth. She was looking at me worriedly. I looked back to Gabriel. "Annabeth, there is a chill outside. You should go get your coat." I told her. She hesitated and nodded, pulling her arm from Gabriel and going off into the Institute to retrieve her coat.

Gabriel stared at me, annoyed. "It isn't very polite or proper to speak to her in that manner." He said. I raised a brow. "In what manner?" I asked him. I found pleasure in the aggravated look on his face. "In a familiar manner, as though you know her, especially since you're a Downworlder." He sneered. I smirked at him and scratched the scar on my face.

"Ah, but you see my dear boy," I began, emphasizing the word boy, "I _do_ know her. Furthermore, who are you to decide if you are closer to her than I? Do not give me that look; I know that that is what you are implying." I said.

He frowned at me. "Are you saying that you know her better? It doesn't matter, really." Gabriel said with a shrug. I ground my teeth together. "Why does it not matter?" I pressed. He smirked and examined the rings on his fingers. "Oh, it's nothing dramatic or anything. It just doesn't matter whether Annabeth and I know each other. All that matters in the end is the continuation of the Shadowhunters." He said simply. I stared at him, dumbfounded. He continued. "You see, shadowhunters stick with shadowhunters. Annabeth is a beautiful girl, and I am a handsome young man, it's quite inevitable." He said, smirking at the shocked and raw anger that must have been apparent on my face.

I walked right up to him until we were standing toe to toe. He was slightly shorter than I, but we still were at eye level. My hands were shaking in rage as I glared at him, too angry to even speak. How could he speak of Annabeth as if she were…as if she were a piece of property!

"She is much more than that, and she deserves better than the likes of you and I will make sure that she gets that." I snarled. He snorted. "And just who might you have in mind? Carstairs? Herondale? Because I can guarantee that they are no better." He spat.

I heard Annabeth's light tread and backed off. "If you do not show her a good time or treat her right, you will regret it." I said menacingly. He narrowed his eyes as Annabeth stepped into the room wearing a black overcoat. She looked between the two of us and looked at me. "Larten…" she trailed off. I smiled tightly.

"Enjoy your evening, Annabeth. I look forward to hearing about your evening." I said, throwing a glare to Lightwood. He ground his teeth together. I walked towards Annabeth and smiled taking her hand. "Have a good evening." I whispered, pressing my lips to her hand. She flushed and nodded.

I was still smirking when the carriage left. The look on that Gabriel's face when I kissed her hand was priceless.


	7. Chapter 7

**So, there is a song to this chappy, awesome I know. It starts with Annabeth's second dance of the evening and I shall provide my loyal readers with the YouTube link for it (: .com/watch?v=1uFF1Ru8-HQ&feature=related enjoy! (:**

The carriage ride to Hyde Park was silent. I was thinking about what Larten had said, and Gabriel seemed rather infuriated. When we arrived, all signs of distress left Gabriel and he threw me a charming smile. I couldn't help but blush. The door opened and he stepped out, then held out a hand to assist me out of the carriage.

I shivered a little in the cold air, pulling my coat around me tighter. "I'm glad I brought my coat, it's chilly out." I noted. Gabriel smiled. "Worry not, my dear. See where the people are dancing?" he asked me, pointing over to a brightly lit clearing. I nodded. "Yes, they seem to be having fun…without their coats." I said, surprised. He nodded.

"This is one of my father's parties." He explained. I nodded, my heart quickening. "Ah, I see. So there are Downworlders there?" he nodded, seeming to be a little annoyed at the thought. "Yes, a few warlocks put an enchantment on the meadow, keeping it warm." He explained as we started walking.

"Which warlocks are attending?" I asked, praying that Magnus or Ragnor would be attending. Gabriel looked at me strangely. "Why do you ask?" he questioned. I shrugged. "I have connections with some Downworlders, most being Warlocks such as Magnus Bane." I explained. He snorted at the mention of my brother. "Ah, yes. Madame Belcourt's pet." He sneered. I ground my teeth together.

"I suggest you keep your mouth shut when regarding Downworlders in such a manner here. Shadow hunter party or not, they will not stand for being disrespected, Gabriel." I said just as we entered the clearing. He stared at me, shocked that I would speak to him in that manner, no doubt. I just smiled and inclined my head to the familiar Downworlders.

A few minutes into the party, I saw Ragnor Fell. We made eye contact. I smiled at him and inclined my head. He did the same. The werewolf standing next to him, Woolsey Scott, looked over at me and grinned. "Ah, if it isn't my favorite pink haired girl!" he laughed. I smiled and pulled Gabriel to follow. A few of the Downworlders around snickered at his obvious discomfort.

"Hello, Woolsey." I said, extending my hand. He grinned and took my hand, pressing his lips to it. "Fancy meeting you here, isn't it?" he said. I nodded. "I could say the same. As you can see, I was invited by Benedict's son, Gabriel." I said, smiling at Gabriel. He smiled back at me. Woolsey smiled and laughed.

"Lucky man, getting you to go anywhere. I remember when I first tried to take you out, you almost had Magnus turn me into a pumpkin!" he laughed. I giggled. "Well, you were trying to take me to the Devil's Tavern." I reminded him. He smiled mischievously.

"We will let you get back to your date." Ragnor said before Woolsey could say anything stupid. I smiled and gave a slight curtsy. The first song of the evening started playing. Gabriel turned to me. "May I have this dance?" He asked, bowing. I smiled and nodded, letting him lead me to the dance floor.

"I must warn you, I'm a better fighter than I am a dancer." I said, blushing lightly. He smiled. "It's fine, I'm a good dancer." He replied with a brag. I smiled and tried to enjoy the dance more. Don't get me wrong, I was having fun but…my thoughts kept returning to a certain vampire at the Institute that wasn't too far away…

"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" he asked me. I looked up at him, confused. "Who?" I asked, confused from being brought back to reality. "The vampire." He replied. I shrugged. He tightened his grip slightly. "Annabeth, there's no use thinking about him like that. He's a vampire and you're—"

"I know." I cut him off, before he could finish that sentence. "But I can't help it. He's kind and…he's different from other vampires." I said, blushing lightly. He looked at me with disgust. "You fancy him? That's…repulsive." He hissed. I glared at him.

"Oh really? And this little party that your father is hosting isn't? You hate all these people so much, and yet you would dine with him?" he glared at me. "What does dining have to do with this?" he hissed. I glared at him. "One doesn't dine with his enemies, for he who dines with his enemies is eating poison." I said.

He laughed at me. "Making a book reference to _The Count of Monte Cristo_? I swear, you are becoming more like that wretched Herondale every day." He snorted, I glared at him. "And what is wrong with that? William Herondale is a great man." I said defensively. Gabriel laughed at me again, loud enough that a few dancing couples looked over at us.

"William Herondale a great man? He isn't even a real Shadow hunter yet! He's a stupid boy who will get everyone killed, he's weak and a cowardly fool." He sneered. I stopped dancing immediately. "Gabriel, if this is how you treat every woman's friends, I wish you great luck in finding a woman to marry." I said angrily.

Before he could say anything in response, a man came next to us. "Excuse me, but might I have this dance with the lady?" he asked kindly. "Yes." I said when Gabriel said "No." I turned to the stranger. "I would be delighted to have a dance with you." I smiled. He smirked. "Lovely, I wouldn't have taken no for an answer anyways." He said, offering me his hand.

He lead me to the outskirts of the dance floor and gingerly laid one hand on my waist and took my left hand with his right one. I laid my right hand on his shoulder and we began to dance. I looked this man over.

He had jet black hair and a small silver ring through his right earlobe. He was tall and wore all black. I looked into his eyes and saw that they were a deep, dark pink. Then I noticed something on his neck. Markings…but they weren't the Markings of a Shadow hunter. I gasped. "You're a demon." I whispered, starting to tremble.

He smiled at me, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "How could you tell?" He asked. I glared at him. "The Markings on your neck." I said, sliding my fingers over the Markings. He tensed. "I thought I had those glamoured." He muttered. I frowned. "You probably do, considering that no one else has noticed." I said, looking around.

He stared down at me curiously. "And will you try and scream?" he asked, pulling me closer to him so he could whisper in my ear. I shuttered. "Maybe." I said. He laughed softly. "And why is that? I haven't done anything wrong." He said. I shrugged.

"You're still a Demon. And if you haven't done anything wrong, then what are you doing here?" I asked him. He smiled. "Looking for someone." He replied. I frowned. "Anything else? No vicious attacks on the Institute? Not eating the hearts of beautiful virgins?" I asked. He laughed. "I am not some pitiful Lesser Demon! And why would I attack the Institute? There is a reason I am at this party. I'm looking for a Shadow hunter." He answered, looking down at me with amusement.

I stared at him. "Might I know who? I could be of assistance if you tell me what your plans are." I said. He smiled at me. "I don't know their name, but I'm sure I shall know who they are once I see them." He replied. I frowned. "Are you going to hurt the Shadow hunter?" I asked quietly. He stared at me. "I am not sure." He said honestly. I shuddered.

If I don't kill this man, then someone I know could die. "I would not worry about it… I do not think that I will want to hurt them." He said gently. I nodded. "Do you swear?" I asked. He nodded. "Sure." He said, his haughty manner put back in place.

"Strange, I smell vampire on your lips." He said, changing the subject. I stared at him, shocked. "How can you smell vampires? They have no scent." I asked. He smiled. "Exactly, your lips don't have a smell, it's been smothered by a vampire." He laughed. I glared.

"Well, it's none of your business." I snapped. He laughed again. "I see I have struck a nerve." He smiled. I rolled my eyes. He stared at me for a long time. "Well, I believe it is time for me to leave, I think I've gotten all that I can get here." He said as the song ended. I frowned as I realized that I would be stuck with Gabriel all night.

"Sir," I began. He smiled. "Please, call me Judas." He said. I snorted. How ironic, this Demon named himself after the man who betrayed Jesus. "Okay, Judas. Do you mind escorting me home? I really wish to leave because there is a certain Shadow hunter that I accompanied here that I am not obliged to give another minute of my time to." I said wearily. He smiled, amused.

"Ah, that boy you were dancing with?" he asked me. I nodded. He shrugged. "I suppose, though I must warn you that we will be walking, I haven't a carriage. Horses aren't very fond of me." He mused. I smiled. "I'm a Shadow hunter; we're used to physical effort." I said with a smile.

He stared at me for a long time before offering me his arm with a kind smile. "Of course, my dear." He said. We kept up a steady conversation on fighting techniques against enemies and what we each thought of the Lesser Demons. It seemed that we were very much alike in our views. He walked me up to the Institute gates and smiled sarcastically. "Ah, the beautiful London Institute." He muttered. I shrugged."It's better than the Silent City." I stated. He stared at me, slightly taken aback. "Yes, I suppose it is." He kissed my hand and smiled.

"It was nice meeting you, my dear. It has been a long time since I have communicated with anyone." I stared at him, confused. "Don't Demons speak with each other quite often?" I asked. He nodded. "Yes, but I'm a Greater Demon who prefers to stay on the Down Low." He paused for a minute and wrinkled his nose.

"In fact, I am certain that there has only been one Shadow hunter who knew my Demon language, and even then they didn't know as much as you do. It is curious how you can speak it fluently without having been taught by me." He said. I stared at him, even more confused.

"I beg your pardon? We were just speaking in English." I said, confused. He stared at me. "No, we weren't, my dear. We were just speaking in Judic, my Demon Language. We have been speaking in it since we first started dancing." He said. He stared at me before his eyes widened and his mouth formed a little o. "After you saw my Markings through the glamour…" He said, trailing off.

I stared at him as he started looking all around him. He took a necklace with a Demon Marking off and handed it to me. "Take this." He ordered. My eyes widened. "I can't take this! I'm a Shadow hunter!" I squeaked. He growled and fastened it around my neck and then pulled back the top of my dress, letting the necklace fall below the neckline. I gasped at the intimate touch.

"And you are also a Warlock, so this Marking will have no negative effect on you. Besides, that's a Mark of protection. Now, don't take that off or there will be bad consequences." He said. He started walking down the side walk and then stopped. He turned back to me and grinned mischievously. "And be sure to stay away from that Lightwood boy, he's a brat and no good for you."

And then he left with me staring after him, wide eyed and open mouthed as a million questions ran through my head, the most important one being…

_Who is this Greater Demon Judas?_


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow, sorry it's taken so long to update; I've had a lot going on at school…typical fan fiction writer excuse ;) Well, without further ado!**

When Judas turned the corner onto another street, I sprung into action. Gathering up my skirts, I ran up the stairs of the Institute and slammed into the doors, shoving it open before I ran through the sanctuary and up the stairs. I headed straight to the library once I reached the top of the staircase, nearly running Sophie over in the process.

When I arrived at the library, surrounded by thousands of books, it occurred to me that I had no idea where to start looking for I didn't use the library often. Had I ever needed to know something, I'd ask Magnus and he'd tell me, but something in the pit of my stomach told me it would be unwise to tell Magnus of the encounter I had with Judas. Not yet at least.

Out of frustration, I slammed a fist on the study table in front of me and swore under my breath. I heard laughing from behind me and whirled around to find Will standing in the doorway, staring at me with a look of amusement on his breath taking face. "Tsk Tsk, Annabeth. That's not very proper, speaking like that." He chastised. I raised a brow at him as though to say "Does it look like I really care?"

He took a bite of the apple he was holding and walked into the Library, hopping on top of the study table I was standing next to. "So where's Gabriel?" he asked politely. I groaned and sat next to him on the table, pulling my knees up to my chest, careful to keep my dress covering me. "I left him at the party. He was speaking ill of you, Larten, and Magnus." I huffed. Will raised a brow. "How did Magnus and Larten come up? Though I must say, it gives me much delight hearing that I am such a pain in his royal ass that he just can't help but talk about me so much. I think I shall write about this in my diary." He said thoughtfully.

I laughed at this and gave him a playful push in the shoulder. "Well, I'm glad to hear that, Will. But the rumors, they're true. The Lightwoods party with Downworlders." I told him. William burst into a fit of laughter. "Stupid fools! Just watch, they're going to catch Demon Pox! The whole lot of them!" He sniggered. I rolled my eyes. "Yes Will, and then Consul Wayland shall give you a grand reward for being right this whole time!" I said. We both grinned at this and started laughing.

"What's so funny? What did I miss?" a warm, familiar voice asked. Will and I looked up, smiles on our faces and cheeks flushed, to find Jem dressed in Gear. "Demon Pox." We both said matter-of-factly. Jem rolled his eyes, smiling. "So, how was your evening, Anna?" he asked kindly, unlike Will who had asked it mockingly. I frowned. "It was…interesting. Why are you in Gear?" I asked, trying to push the subject towards something else. Unlike Will, when Jem saw that I was hiding something, he'd ask about it and I couldn't bear lying to Jem about Judas, anyone but Jem.

"Obviously, he was demon hunting." Will said. I glared at him. "Well, I can see that! I'm not blind you bloody idiot." I hissed. He smirked at that. I turned back to Jem, ignoring Will's sense of accomplishment at annoying me. "Wasn't late night demon hunting canceled? I though Charlotte wanted us to stay at the Institute so we cans search for clues as to who, or where, the Magister is." I said, throwing another glare at Will.

Jem scratched the back of his head. "Well, We've received an anonymous tip regarding a powerful Demon and Charlotte asked that Will and I check it out." He said in that soft manner of his. Will grinned at this. "Finally, I've been dying to stab something." He said gleefully, jumping off the table. I raised a brow at this. "William, you just stabbed Gabriel in the foot this morning during training." I pointed out. He shrugged. "Ah, yes. But I can't kill Gabriel, now can I? I mean, however will I live without that bastard?" He said dramatically, as though he were quoting Shakespeare.

I rolled my eyes and slid off the table, walking towards the contrasting Parabatai. "Mind if I tag along? I need to blow off steam." I said with a sigh. Jem shrugged. "I don't see why not. The more the merrier, right?" He said with a smile. I grinned in response and nodded. Will scoffed. I stared at him and gave him an extremely obscene gesture at him. Jem's eyes widened as Will laughed loudly. "Annabeth!" A feminine voice shouted from the doorway. I turned to see Tessa staring at me in shock. I stared at her. "Tessa." I replied. "That's…that isn't proper!" she squeaked. Will and I laughed at this.

I walked towards the door and took her by the elbow, pulling her along behind me. "Oh, Tessa. Will you ever learn?" I teased. She giggled at this and followed me. "We'll be waiting downstairs!" Jem called after us. I waved my hand at him, letting him know that I had been listening. "So, what did you need Tessa?" I asked her. She bit her lip, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "Well, I-I had wanted to speak with Will, but it seems that you three are going out." She said hastily. I stared at her as we reached my room. I shook my head, pushing the door open.

She followed me in and shut the door behind her. "What? Why are you shaking your head?" she demanded. I stripped from my dress in front of her and walked to my dresser, pulling out my Gear. "Well, Sophie and I have been talking…" I trailed off. She seemed put out by that. "I know, I know! I shouldn't like Will! There's something wrong with him. He's a pretty boy who will just break my heart. He—"

"Is my best friend." I said, cutting her off short. She stared at me, slightly surprised. I smiled softly as I pulled on my shirt. "Yes, shocking, I know. Not many people know this but my mother, Adriana Wayland, had been close to Will's father when they were Shadowhunters." I said. she stared at me. "Really? But, I thought that once a Shadowhunter left, they couldn't speak with anyone." She said quietly. I nodded.

"That's true. After I was born, my mother left the Clave and we went to Wales, since she had already known that that was where the Herondales were. So, Will and I grew up together." I explained. By now, I had my shirt on and tucked into my pants, my stele tucked into my belt. I walked over to the chest at the end of my bed and took my boots off of it and plopped down on the floor, pulling them on.

"So…you two are very close then?" She asked, and sat down next to me, her chin resting on her knees. I looked up into her curious eyes and smiled slightly. "Yes, we are. Though he probably would not admit it." I chuckled. Tessa smiled softly at this. "But I came to the Clave far before Will did." I said quietly, my throat constricting. Tessa noticed my odd reaction and tilted her head to the side.

"What happened?" She asked softly. I stared at her before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. Before I could say anything, there was a knock at my door. "By the Angel, Annabeth. How long does it take for you to change?" Will's annoyed voice came from the other side of the door, saving me from explaining. I opened my eyes and looked at Tessa. "Sorry, Tessa. I guess it's a story for another time." I said. she nodded slowly, no doubt with the knowledge that I wasn't going to tell her. I stood and gave her my hand, pulling her up as Will threw the door open, seemingly annoyed.

Tessa flushed and looked down, shoving a strand of hair behind her ear. I grinned and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. She looked up at me, confused, as I leaned in towards her. "Don't worry, Tessa. As much as Sophie may think it is, it isn't a lost cause." I whispered in her ear. She flushed darker and smiled at me, squeezing my hand, before she walked out, pausing in the doorway once to look up at Will.

I watched as Will stared after her, a wistful look on his face. I jumped onto his back and giggled. "By the Angel, William, why don't you just tell her how you feel?" I giggled. He grunted at this and carried me down to the entryway of the Institute where Jem was waiting with my weapons. Will dropped me and walked over to Jem, mumbling under his breath. I rolled my eyes and graciously took my weapons from Jem. "Don't worry about Will, he's just being his moody self." I told Jem, who was eyeing his Parabatai warily. He shrugged in response.

"Are we ready?" Will asked us. Jem and I nodded in response. That's when we heard a thud against the door. Cautiously, I pulled it open to find Darren lying flat on his back on the front steps wheezing, sweaty, bruised, and covered with dirt and small amounts of blood from scrapes. I crouched down and pushed his brown hair out of his eyes.

"Darren, are you okay?" I asked him uneasily. He nodded wordlessly, still trying to catch his breath. I heard laughing and looked up to see Larten, glistening in a light sheet of sweat, wearing a white shirt that was rolled up to his elbows, the top three buttons undone, showing off his collar bone and the top of his sculpted chest, and black pants that were rolled up to his knees. Also, for reasons I could not fathom considering that it was winter, the man was barefoot.

Larten shoved his drenched orange locks out of his emerald eyes that seemed to be on fire. "Darren is fine, he is just training." He said. I heard snickers from Jem and Will as my face and chest grew warmer and warmer. Larten looked concerned and took a few steps towards me, and then pressed his hand against my forehead. "Annabeth, are you well? Your face is rather hot." He said worriedly. Jem smiled and tried not to laugh, unlike Will who was roaring with laughter along with Darren. My face grew even warmer.

Will straightened up and walked towards Larten, still laughing to himself. He patted Larten on the back. "Oh she's quite well my dear man. I think the sight of you all hot and sweaty has merely—" I tackled Will to the ground and covered his mouth with my hand. "I swear to God, Will, if you don't shut up I shall Mark you with a Rune of Silence!" I hissed, causing him to shake with laughter. "Hey, don't we have a Demon to kill? Let's get going." Jem said, trying to help me out of an awkward situation. Larten stared at me. "You are hunting a Demon?" he asked curiously. I nodded. He smiled a little. "Ah, I guess that would explain the pants." He mused, staring at the lower half of my body. I flushed a beet red.

"Well, let's go, shall we?" Jem said, walking through the gate. I nodded and rolled off of Will, who had a devilish smirk plastered to his face. I glared at him. Hearing Larten clear his throat behind me, I turned my attention to him as Will followed Jem out the gates. Larten stared at me for a few moments and then pulled me into an embrace. I froze, shocked with surprise,before melting into him and wrapping my arms around his waist. He kissed the top of my head, "Be safe, Annabeth." He whispered into my ear, sending delicious shivers down my spine before letting me go and walking through the Institute doors, letting them close behind him.

I blushed fiercely and met up with Will and Jem. "Ready." I said, smiling. They rolled their eyes at me and we left to find the Demon. But, with every step I took, the more uneasy I started to feel, like something was weighing down my stomach. As though second nature, my had flew to my neck where I was still wearing the necklace that Judas had giving me for protection. _Am I in danger? Is a Demon coming to kill me? Or could it be that the feeling I'm getting is just because I'm facing a Demon while wearing this marking of protection?_ I thought.

"Annabeth? Are you even listening?" Will asked, extremely annoyed. I shook my head slowly. "Um, no, not really." I admitted. Jem looked at me curiously. "Annabeth, are you okay?" he asked me. I nodded. "Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind. I'm fine, I promise." I smiled. He hesitated before smiling and nodding, returning to whatever detailed plan Will was trying to conjure up.


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, so I was really excited to write this chapter (: Well, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! And please, can I get one review? Just to know whether or not I actually have an audience, ya know? Anyways, I'll let you get to it! (:**

"Did you hear that?" Will whispered. We had gone into Hyde Park, hoping to find some clues, when we heard a rustling. I nodded and took out my seraph blade. We had all ducked into a bush by then, and Will and Jem took out their blades as well. "Okay, let's observe first, before charging in. We need to know what they're doing." Jem said. Will and I nodded and we all looked over the bush into a clearing where we had heard the scuffle. I could see moving shadows, but not very well, so I took out my stele and drew a Nyx Rune on my hand.

Everything burst into detail and I could see the colors of the leaves, and the ivory skin of one of the figures. I stared, shocked. "Now, why would a mundane be fighting with a Demon?" Jem muttered. As soon as the words left his lips, the Demon charged at the man once again…only to be grabbed and hurtled into the tree on the opposite side of the clearing.

Will tensed. "Jem…Jem that's two Greater Demons. The one who looks like a man? He must be one of the oldest, not many Demons can take the appearance of a human, and he has Demon Markings on him…but I can't quite make out what language…" Will murmured. The Demons started shouting at each other. "What are they saying?" Jem asked.

"Balik, leave here at once! I don't want to do this, but I will if I have to!" I translated for the man. Jem and Will stared at me, shocked, as I continued translating.

"No! Not until she is mine!" the ugly demon with no eyes on its face said.

"Stay away from her!" the man snarled.

Will furrowed their eyebrows. "Who's this girl they're talking about?" he murmured. He looked at Jem and I and nodded, giving the signal to get ready to attack. We all took a step back, still crouched, getting in a fighting position. _Snap!_ We all froze as the Demons' heads snapped towards our direction. "By the Angel." Will swore as he lifted his foot, seeing that he had stepped on a twig.

"Who goes there?" The man snapped, speaking in English. Will and Jem stood up. "Nephilim, just lovely." Spat Balik. Will grinned. "It seems we have a few Demons on our hands. Are we ready to go you two?" He asked, not bothering to be quiet. The Greater Demons looked confused. "Two? There is only one Shadowhunter at your side." The man said, confused. I took in a deep ragged breath and stood up, looking into the eyes of the man. "Yes, Will. I'm ready." I whispered. The man froze. "Annabeth." He whispered.

Jem and Will looked at me, confused, as the Demon Balik looked at me with greed and lust. "Ah, so this is the girl!" he shouted. He spat out some weird gooey substance at the three of us. It hit Jem and Will, sticking them to a few nearby trees. But when it got to me, it burned up, just before touching me. I felt stinging and looked down at my chest to see the Demon Marking of protection glowing.

I sprung into action then. "Raziel!" I shouted, flinging it at Balik. He screeched as it hit him in the shoulder. I ran to Will's side and took his sword then turned to see Balik rushing towards me, only to be tackled to the ground by Judas. "Annabeth, get out of here!" He roared, his eyes completely black. I shook my head and stabbed at Balik with Will's sword. He roared in pain and flung Judas off of him and ripped the sword from my hand, tackling me to the ground.

I struggled under his weight. "So this is the famous Annabeth Morgenstern." He sneered. I froze. _Morgenstern? What was he talking about? _I curled up underneath Balik and kicked his chest, sending him stumbling backwards, just to have his head twisted so sharply, his neck was broken and he crumpled into the ground before turning to dust. I looked up at his murderer to see the unhappy eyes of Judas.

"Annabeth, I told you to run." He said angrily. I glared. "No! You can't tell me what to do! I'm just doing my job! And what are you doing here anyways?" I asked him angrily as I picked myself up from the ground, brushing myself off. "Trying to protect you!" he snarled. Suddenly, something bright whizzed through the air and sunk into his shoulder. His eyes widened and he looked down to see a seraph blade.

I was yanked away from Judas by Will, who stepped in front of me with Jem. "Stay away from her!" he snarled. Judas looked at Will, amused, as he pulled out the seraph blade. "I believe this is yours, little Shadowhunter." He said, holding it out to Will. Will glared. "Don't patronize me you filthy thing." Judas laughed at this and looked at me. "And these are the young men you surround yourself with? Well, he is better that that Lightwood character I suppose." He said, looking Will up and down. Jem raised a brow.

"How do you know Gabriel? And how do you know Annabeth?" Jem demanded. He turned to Jem and stared at him for a long time. "Demon poisoning? That's a nasty business, I'm sorry Shadowhunter." He said sincerely. Jem looked taken aback. Judas grinned and, suddenly, appeared behind me. "But, if you do not mind, I will be taking this one." He said, flinging my over his shoulder and sprinting off before I could even let out a word of protest.

I could hear Will swearing as he and Jem followed after us. But, as soon as I heard the sucking sound of a Portal, I knew that they wouldn't make it. I looked up at them and nearly cried when I saw the looks on their faces as the Portal closed behind us.

Jem and Will walked back to the Institute in complete silence. Jem was angry and frustrated, but he couldn't imagine how Will would be feeling right now. Jem knew that Will had loved Annabeth more than anyone else, maybe even more than Jem himself. They had grown up together and were almost like brother and sister and, Jem wondered, maybe they would even learn to truly love each other.

They stopped when they reached the gates of the Institute. Suddenly, Will kicked the gates and slammed his fists into them. "Damnit!" he hissed. Jem stared at Will with sympathy and placed a hand on his parabatai's back. "Will, its okay. Annabeth is a tough kid and the best we can do for her now is tell Charlotte and Henry." He told Will. Will nodded slowly and tried to put on that blank face he wore so much, but he failed.

They walked into the Sanctuary to see Charlotte, Henry, and Gabriel speaking with Larten and Darren about Camille and her whereabouts. "I suppose we could also ask Magnus, between him and myself I am sure that we will find her." Larten was saying. The boys let the door slam shut behind them, causing everyone to turn. Charlotte smiled at them weakly. She looked so tired.

"Hello, boys. How was Demon Hunting?" Henry asked. He was answered with silence. Larten froze. "Where is Annabeth? She had gone with you two, did she not?" he asked worriedly. Jem bit his lip and looked down. "James, William, where is Annabeth?" Charlotte demanded.

"She was taken by one of the Greater Demons." Will said. Larten froze. "What?" he gasped. Charlotte gaped. "Wait, by _one_ of the Greater Demons?" she shouted. Jem nodded. "Yes, Charlotte. There were two, one was the Greater Demon Balik and the other was the Greater Demon…" he trailed off, furrowing his brows. "I think I heard Annabeth call him Judas." Will said. Henry practically started choking. "What! The Greater Demon Judas?" he shouted. Jem nodded. "Yes, he was in a human form." He said. Henry's eyes widened.

"What happened?" Gabriel asked. Everyone was silent as they spoke. "Wait," Larten said when they were done. "You said that the attack from Balik only affected you two?" he asked. Jem nodded. "Before it burned in front of her, something on her neck started glowing…it looked like Demon Marking." Will said quietly. Silence. Jem paused. "Wait a second…" he said, thinking. He looked up at Charlotte.

"Charlotte, Annabeth could understand the Demon language they were speaking in, she even spoke to Judas in this language." He said. Gabriel let out a grunt of annoyance. "Your point being?" he asked. Jem ignored him. "It's not a Demon language I recognized, but I have heard it before. It's the same language that Annabeth screams in when she's having a nightmare." He said.

Charlotte's eyes widened. "Oh dear God…" she whispered. She sunk her head into her hands as Henry rubbed her back. Larten stood up. "Darren, come." Will looked at him. "Where are you going? You won't find her, Vampire. She's in the Demon realm." He said bitterly. Larten nodded, shrugging on a coat. "Yes, I know. I am going to Magnus Bane, he will want to know this." He said. Gabriel narrowed his eyes at him. "Why would Magnus Bane care? He's an idiotic Warlock." Larten frowned at him.

"You know something that you're not telling us." Will said angrily. Larten turned to him. "It is not my place to tell, maybe if you Nephilim were not so hateful, she would tell you." He said. He was about to leave when Jem spoke. "Wait." He said. Larten turned. "Don't go…He'll bring her back." He said. Everyone stared at him like he had gone crazy.

"Don't be so daft, Carstairs!" Gabriel snorted. Jem shook his head. "No, the Demon kept talking about a girl and when they discovered us, Balik tried to attack her, but Judas wouldn't let him. It's like he was protecting her." He said. Gabriel frowned. "What did this Judas look like?" he asked. "Well, he had black hair and a silver hoop in his right ear and his eyes were pink, a bit darker that Annabeth's eyes." He said. Gabriel's face grew pale.

"That's the man from the party!" he gasped. Everyone stared at him, waiting for more information. "While Annabeth and I were dancing at the party my father hosted in Hyde Park tonight, a man came in and asked her to dance. I remember her leaving the party with him after their dance." He explained. Henry frowned.

"This is strange behavior for a Greater Demon, even one like Judas." Henry mused. "One like Judas?" Darren piped up. Henry nodded. "There have been many accounts of Judas taking people into his Realm for a short while before returning them, but a Shadowhunter? And one that he seems to be protecting?" Henry frowned again. "I feel like there's something I'm missing here…something obvious…" he said. "Perhaps I can help?" a meek voice said. Everyone looked to the doors of the sanctuary to see Tessa in a blue dress, standing in the doorway, holding a book of Demons.

"You're looking for Judas, right?" she asked. They nodded. Will raised a brow at her. She flushed. "I was eavesdropping." She admitted. Jem smiled warmly at her. "It is quite alright, Tessa. Have you found Judas?" he asked her. She nodded, then frowned, then looked confused. "What is it, Tessa?" Charlotte asked warily. She looked up at them. "It says here that Judas was killed sixteen years ago by Felicity Morgenstern." Charlotte and Henry shared a look.

"That's weird…Charlotte? Henry? Do you know the significance of Morgenstern?" Jem asked. They sighed and nodded. "Yes, though it's a long story." Charlotte said. Larten and Darren sat back down and said, "We have time."


	10. Chapter 10

Realm of Judas

"Sorry, my dear. It's been many years since I've portaled a Shadowhunter to my realm, I forgot the effect it has on them." Judas apologized, scratching the back of his head as I laid on the ground, wheezing. I rolled my eyes at him. He smirked and offered me a hand, pulling me to my feet. I looked around me at this Demon realm.

"So, what do you think?" he asked me. I furrowed my brows. 'Well, it's definitely not what I expected." The place was a giant forest and currently we were standing in a clearing with a stream running through it. I walked over to the stream and bent over, looking into it.

I saw myself reflected in it but my reflection was…shifty, as if something else was trying to break through. Then a black Demon with horns, fangs, and dark pink eyes was reflected behind me. I screamed and whirled around to see Judas standing behind me, a grave look on his face.

"I suggest you stay away from that unless you're ready to see what it has to show you." He said. I looked at it and then back to Judas. "Is…is that your real form?" I asked him as I slowly came to my feet. He nodded. "Does it frighten you?" he asked softly. I hesitated before shrugging. "I don't know, it kind of does." I said honestly. He sighed.

"So, why did you bring me here anyways?" I asked him. He stared at me for a long time before speaking. "There's a war brewing, Annabeth, and you and Tessa are very powerful beings that can be turned into great weapons." He told me. I stared at him blankly. "What are you talking about? The Magister is after Tessa! She's the key to this upcoming war, what have I got to do with it?" I demanded. He frowned.

"You're not ready to know yet. All you need to know is that you're vital to this as well." He said. I ground my teeth together. "Okay, well, that still doesn't answer my question! Why have you brought me here? To protect me? To use me?" I asked angrily, pulling out my seraph blade. He glared at me.

"Annabeth, drop the seraph blade. I'm here to teach you, to train you. If you expect to live through this war, you will need my help." He said. I frowned. "Okay, but you have to answer my questions first." I said. He sighed, exasperated. "What else is there to know?" he asked me.

"Why did Balik call me Morgenstern? And why did you come for me? Why am I so important to you?" I asked him. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This is going to take awhile…come, I will tell you all you wish to know once we've gotten you cleaned up; you are covered in filth." He said. I nodded and followed him out of the clearing and into the forest.

**London Institute…**

"The Morgensterns are a very powerful Shadowhunter family." Henry began as everyone laid their eyes on him. Everyone except Will. He was looking down at the floor, leaning against a pillar with a frown on his face. Henry raised a brow at him. "Will, don't you want to hear? You are the one who asked about it." Will looked at Henry. "I already know this story, you forget." He said. Henry flushed slightly. "Oh, of course, right."

Charlotte cleared her throat. "As Henry was saying, they're a very powerful family. They currently live in New York, where they are establishing a new Institute. Anyways, the Morgensterns have three sons and they had a daughter, Felicity." Charlotte explained. "Had? What happened to her?" Darren asked. "She died." Will said quietly. Everyone looked to Will. "Well, we have already inferred that, Herondale. He meant how." Gabriel snorted. Will looked up and stared straight into his eyes.

"She died giving birth to Annabeth." He said. Everyone stared at him, shocked, except for Henry and Charlotte. "I had no idea…what of her father?" Tessa asked. "To this day we don't know who he is, it was a secret Felicity took to the grave." Henry spoke. Larten nodded slowly, taking this in. He must have been a Demon, since Annabeth is Magnus's younger sister.

"Well, what does this have to do with anything?" Gabriel asked. "Felicity was attacked by Judas. He attacked her eighteen years ago and…he raped her." Henry said quietly. Darren, Jem, and Tessa gasped. Will sighed. "She had a miscarriage." He said quietly. Jem nodded slowly. "I guess it's to be expected, Shadowhunters can't give birth to children father by Demons." He said. Tessa shuddered. "Yes, she did. And she was very angry, so she went after Judas and killed him, but she also took some serious wounds. She was taken to the Silent City, where she died." Charlotte said.

"Where does Anna fit into all of this?" Jem asked. "Felicity was pregnant with her before she died. She died so Annabeth could live, which she barely did." Will said, gripping something in his pocket. Jem raised a brow at him, but didn't say anything. Darren noticed as well. "Mr. Herondale, what's that in your pockets." Will tensed up and slowly pulled a chain necklace from his pocket where a ring dangled.

"The Morgenstern family ring. My mother gave it to me. She had been good friends with Felicity, so Felicity gave it to her so that Annabeth might have it someday." He said, staring at the jewelry that laid in the palm of his hand. "Oh my God." Larten whispered. Everyone turned to him, shocked. "You just said God!" Gabriel shouted. Larten glared at him.

"Yes, observant are we?" he sneered before he looked at Will, Henry, and Charlotte. "Annabeth doesn't know who she is, does she?" he asked. Charlotte bit her lip and shook her head. "Brother Enoch said it would be better if she didn't know, in case another Demon, a friend of Judas's, came for her to get revenge." She answered. Larten shook his head.

"Wait…but that still doesn't answer one question. How can Judas still be alive?" Tessa asked, voicing the question that was running through everyone's mind.

Suddenly, there was a sucking sound and a Portal opened. Out stepped Annabeth…followed by Judas.


	11. Chapter 11

**Short chappy, but I hope you enjoy :D**

"Annabeth!" Larten and Will said at the same time. Everyone else, aside from Jem and a rather confused Darren, jumped into action, pulling out weapons. "Annabeth! Get away from him!" Gabriel shouted, glaring at Judas. Judas snorted at this. "Do not tell her what to do you pathetic piece of—"

"Judas!" I warned. He let out a sigh of annoyance. "Yes, yes, Do not patronize the weaklings." He muttered. I sighed and rubbed my temples and then paused when I saw something glinting in Will's hand. "Will? What's that in your hand?" I asked. Judas sucked in a breath.

"That's Felicity's." he said, staring at it. My eyes widened and I stared at Will, my eyes filled with hurt and betrayal no doubt. "Will…you…you knew? And you didn't tell me?" I whispered. He froze, looked down, and then looked back up at me. He looked torn. "Anna, I—"

"Will! You knew I was adopted? That I was never actually a Wayland and you _didn't tell me?_" I gasped. He strode up to me and took my hands in his, gazing at me intensely. "I wanted to, so bad, but I…" He sighed and looked down, hiding his face from me. He dropped his hands and held up the ring. I was frozen. Will…

Judas snatched the ring from his hands and examined it. "Now why would you have this?" he muttered. "Because Felicity gave it to my mother, and my mother gave it to me." Will muttered before he turned and started to leave the Sanctuary. I stared at Will. At first, I had been so angry but now I just feel hurt. Why is he turning away? Why can't he just tell me the truth?

"Will…" I said. He didn't even stop as he walked out, slamming the door behind him. "Annabeth." I looked up to see Charlotte staring at me. "Annabeth, come here." She said, her gaze flickering to Judas. Judas wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close to him as he stared at the Nephilim strangely.

"Judas, what do you want with Annabeth?" Jem asked. Judas blinked. "To protect her, obviously." He said, nudging his head towards the marking of protection that he made me wear. "But why?" Darren asked. I elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow." He muttered. I rolled my eyes. "Look, we don't have time, Judas. You were right, okay? Can we please just get going? We're running out of time." I whined. He nodded.

"Vanessa, where are you going?" Larten asked. Judas looked at him. "Is this the Vampire?" Judas asked. I blushed lightly and nodded. "I'm going to speak with Magnus Bane." I told him. Larten nodded and walked towards me. "I am coming with you." He said. I bit my lip. "Larten…" I trailed off. He stared at me. "Last time I let you out of my sight, you disappeared into a Demon Realm." He said. I nodded, accepting defeat.

"Vanessa, you can't go with that Demon!" Gabriel shouted angrily. I frowned. "I can, and I will. Gabriel, this has nothing to do with you." I looked at everyone around me. "This has nothing to do with any of you, I promise that I will be okay and will return soon. Larten, Magnus, and Judas will make sure of that." I said, looking at Charlotte, Jem, Tessa, Henry, Gabriel and Darren. Tessa frowned.

"But he's a demon, Annabeth. You can't trust him." She said quietly. Judas glared at Tessa. "My mother trusted him, so why shouldn't I?" I asked. They were silent. I looked to Jem. "I'll be back soon…" I told him, my gaze sliding towards the doors that Will left through.

We were on our way to where Magnus was currently staying when Larten started speaking. "Judas, how do you know Felicity?" Larten asked. "She tried to kill me." Judas smirked. Larten blinked. "What happened?" he asked, genuinely curious. "I got the best of her." Judas said. He paused before continuing. "I couldn't finish the kill, though. I realized it was because I thought she was beautiful. I took my human form and took her back to the Institute where she lived and watched her. She soon noticed, of course, and we began talking and I told her who I was." He said.

"What happened then?" I asked Judas, looking up into his dark pink eyes. He looked at the ring in his hand and smiled. "She didn't care anymore, she realized I was different than other Demons and she asked to learn my language, and so I taught it to her."

Judas stopped his story for we had gotten to Magnus' doorstep. I looked at Judas. "How long has it been since you've seen him?" I asked. He frowned. "I regret to say that I've never met him." I glared at him. "Magnus Bane, correct?" he asked. I nodded and Larten knocked on the door.

Magnus seemed surprised when he answered. Judas raised a brow when he realized that Magnus was wearing the house coat of another man. "Annabeth, darling, I wasn't expecting you." He blinked. "Did you say Annabeth?" a voice called. I smiled as Woolsey Scott came to the door. I smiled. "Hell, Woolsey." I smiled. He grinned. "Hello, love. Come to take up my offer?" he winked. Judas frowned. "What offer?" he asked. Magnus cleared his throat.

"Anyways, do come in." Magnus said, stepping away from the doorway. I walked in, followed by Judas and Larten and we took off our coats. "I see Camille left her footman." I said warily as I saw Archer glaring at us all. Magnus nodded. "Yes, he seems to have been instructed to stay here." He said, annoyed. I giggled and followed Magnus down the hall towards the parlor. I smiled.

"I absolutely love the new décor, love." I told Magnus as I looked around the Africa themed room. He smiled. "Thank you; I was getting bored of the French Aristocracy feel." He said as he leaned against the fireplace. I took a place on the sofa, Larten sitting on my left. Judas went and leaned against the window next to it.

"Brandy?" Woolsey offered as he walked towards the desk. I nodded. "Yes, please." Judas looked at me. "You are not having brandy, that is not a drink for a lady." I glared at Judas. "That's not your decision to make." I snapped. Magnus turned to Larten. "Larten, would you like some blood? Camille has some lovely vintage in the kitchen." He offered. Larten shook his head. "I would prefer not drinking in front of Annabeth." Larten said. I smiled slightly at this. Magnus smiled. "Good man." Magnus turned to me.

"Who's your sulky friend, Anna?" Magnus asked as Woolsey gave me my small glass of Brandy. I took a sip before answering. "Magnus, this is the Greater Demon Judas. Judas, this is Magnus Bane." I said. Magnus' eyes widened as he stared at Judas. I took a deep breath and told him the truth.

"Magnus…this is our father."


End file.
